Flood spending: myths busted

This news article was published under
the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Defra expects to spend at least £2.1 billion on flooding and coastal erosion over the next four years.

The myth - The Telegraph states that Defra is cutting spending on flood defences by 17%.

The truth - Defra expects to spend at least £2.1 billion on flooding and coastal erosion over the next four years. The comparative figure for Defra spending during the previous four years is £2.36 billion. This therefore represents an average yearly reduction in spending from £590 million to around £540 million, which is approximately an 8% reduction.

We expect to be able to deliver better protection to at least 145,000 households by March 2015, whilst standing by previous commitments and supporting growth in activity by lead local flood authorities. We will also protect front-line forecasting and warning services, incident response, and prioritise the maintenance of existing defences.